ORAU TEAM

Dose Reconstruction

Project for NIOSH

Oak Ridge Associated Universities I Dade Moeller & Associates I MJW Corporation

Page 1 of 9

Document Title:

Argonne National Laboratory–West – Introduction

Document Number: ORAUT-TKBS-0026-1 

Revision: 01

Effective Date: 05/11/2007

Type of Document TBD

Supersedes: Revision 00

Subject Expert(s): Jo Ann M. Jenkins

Site Expert(s): Norman D. Rohrig 

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 05/03/2007

Jo Ann M. Jenkins, Document Owner

Concurrence: Signature on File Concurrence Date: 05/04/2007

John M. Byrne, Task 3 Manager

Concurrence: Signature on File Concurrence Date: 05/03/2007

Edward F. Maher, Task 5 Manager

Concurrence: James P. Griffin Signature on File for Concurrence Date: 05/03/2007

Kate Kimpan, Project Director

Approval: Brant A. Ulsh Signature on File for Approval Date: 05/11/2007

James W. Neton, Associate Director for Science

 New Total Rewrite Revision Page Change

FOR DOCUMENTS MARKED AS A TOTAL REWRITE, REVISION, OR PAGE CHANGE, REPLACE THE PRIOR

REVISION AND DISCARD / DESTROY ALL COPIES OF THE PRIOR REVISION.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0026-1 Revision No. 01 Effective Date: 05/11/2007 Page 2 of 9

PUBLICATION RECORD

EFFECTIVE 

DATE

REVISION

NUMBER DESCRIPTION

12/01/2004 00 New Technical Basis Document for the Argonne National Laboratory 

– Introduction. First approved issue. Initiated by Norman D. Rohrig.

05/11/2007 01 Approved revision initiated to include Attributions and Annotations. 

Incorporates formal internal review comments. This revision results 

in no change to the assigned dose and no PER is required. Training 

required: As determined by the Task Manager. Initiated by Jo Ann 

M. Jenkins.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0026-1 Revision No. 01 Effective Date: 05/11/2007 Page 3 of 9

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION TITLE

Acronyms and Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................

PAGE

4

1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 5

 1.1 Purpose ..............................................................................................................................6

 1.2 Scope..................................................................................................................................6

 1.3 Attributions and Annotations................................................................................................8

References ..........................................................................................................................................9
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0026-1 Revision No. 01 Effective Date: 05/11/2007 Page 4 of 9

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

ANL-W Argonne National Laboratory–West

CFA Central Facilities Area

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

EEOICPA Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000

INL Idaho National Laboratory

MDA minimum detectable activity

NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

POC probability of causation

TBD technical basis document

U.S.C. United States Code

§ section or sections
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0026-1 Revision No. 01 Effective Date: 05/11/2007 Page 5 of 9

1.0

Technical basis documents and site profile documents are not official determinations made by the 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) but are rather general working 

documents that provide historic background information and guidance to assist in the preparation of 

dose reconstructions for particular sites or categories of sites. They will be revised in the event 

additional relevant information is obtained about the affected site(s). These documents may be used 

to assist NIOSH staff in the completion of the individual work required for each dose reconstruction.

INTRODUCTION

In this document the word “facility” is used as a general term for an area, building, or group of 

buildings that served a specific purpose at a site. It does not necessarily connote an “atomic weapons 

employer facility” or a “Department of Energy [DOE] facility” as defined in the Energy Employees 

Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act [EEOICPA; 42 U.S.C. § 7384l(5) and (12)]. 

EEOICPA defines a DOE facility as “any building, structure, or premise, including the grounds upon 

which such building, structure, or premise is located ... in which operations are, or have been, 

conducted by, or on behalf of, the Department of Energy (except for buildings, structures, premises, 

grounds, or operations ... pertaining to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program)” [42 U.S.C. 

§ 7384l(12)]. Accordingly, except for the exclusion for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program noted 

above, any facility that performs or performed DOE operations of any nature whatsoever is a DOE 

facility encompassed by EEOICPA.

For employees of DOE or its contractors with cancer, the DOE facility definition only determines 

eligibility for a dose reconstruction, which is a prerequisite to a compensation decision (except for 

members of the Special Exposure Cohort). The compensation decision for cancer claimants is based 

on a section of the statute entitled “Exposure in the Performance of Duty.” That provision [42 U.S.C. 

§ 7384n(b)] says that an individual with cancer “shall be determined to have sustained that cancer in 

the performance of duty for purposes of the compensation program if, and only if, the cancer ... was 

at least as likely as not related to employment at the facility [where the employee worked], as 

determined in accordance with the POC [probability of causation1

As noted above, the statute includes a definition of a DOE facility that excludes “buildings, structures, 

premises, grounds, or operations covered by Executive Order No. 12344, dated February 1, 1982 

(42 U.S.C. 7158 note), pertaining to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program” [42 U.S.C. § 7384l(12)]. 

While this definition contains an exclusion with respect to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the 

section of EEOICPA that deals with the compensation decision for covered employees with cancer 

[i.e., 42 U.S.C. § 7384n(b), entitled “Exposure in the Performance of Duty”] does not contain such an 

exclusion. Therefore, the statute requires NIOSH to include all occupationally derived radiation 

exposures at covered facilities in its dose reconstructions for employees at DOE facilities, including 

radiation exposures related to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. As a result, all internal and 

external dosimetry monitoring results are considered valid for use in dose reconstruction. No efforts 

are made to determine the eligibility of any fraction of total measured exposure for inclusion in dose 

reconstruction. NIOSH, however, does not consider the following exposures to be occupationally 

derived:

] guidelines established under 

subsection (c) ...” [42 U.S.C. § 7384n(b)]. Neither the statute nor the probability of causation

guidelines (nor the dose reconstruction regulation) define “performance of duty” for DOE employees 

with a covered cancer or restrict the “duty” to nuclear weapons work.

• Radiation from naturally occurring radon present in conventional structures

• Radiation from diagnostic X-rays received in the treatment of work-related injuries

 

1 The U.S. Department of Labor is ultimately responsible under the EEOICPA for determining the POC. 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0026-1 Revision No. 01 Effective Date: 05/11/2007 Page 6 of 9

This Site Profile documents historical practices at the Argonne National Laboratory–West (ANL-W) 

and provides information for the evaluation of both internal and external dosimetry data for 

unmonitored and monitored workers; the document can serve as a supplement to, or substitute for, 

individual monitoring data. This document provides a profile of ANL-W that contains technical basis 

information for the evaluation of the total occupational radiation dose for EEOICPA claimants.

1.1 PURPOSE

This Site Profile provides supporting technical data for the evaluation, with favorable to claimant

assumptions, of the total radiation dose that can reasonably be associated with a worker’s ANL-W 

occupational radiation exposure. This dose results from exposure to external and internal radiation 

sources in ANL-W facilities, from ANL-W occupationally required diagnostic X-ray examinations, and 

from exposure to onsite environmental releases. The discussions include doses that could have 

occurred while the worker was not monitored or that dosimetry programs could have missed. Since 

ANL-W began operations, the development of newer and more reliable scientific methods and 

protection measures has led to changes in radiation detection ability and recording practices. This 

Site Profile provides the methods to account for these changes. 

The doses are evaluated using the NIOSH Interactive RadioEpidemiological Program and the 

Integrated Modules for Bioassay Analysis program. This document describes the uncertainty 

evaluation for ANL-W exposure and dose records, which is an integral component of the NIOSH 

approach to dose reconstruction.

1.2 SCOPE

The Site Profile consists of the latest revisions of this Introduction and five major technical basis 

documents (TBDs): Site Description, Occupational Medical Dose, Occupational Environmental Dose, 

Occupational Internal Dose, and Occupational External Dosimetry. 

Site Description

The Site Description TBD (ORAUT 2004a) briefly describes the facilities and processes at ANL-W 

since the early 1950s. The ANL-W site is a part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site. INL is 

about 50 miles west of Idaho Falls, Idaho, in the Arco desert and covers about 890 square miles. 

ANL-W developed and operated reactors at two locations: One south of the INL Central Facilities 

Area (CFA) and one presently at the east edge of the site. The present site is about 35 miles west of 

Idaho Falls and covers about 900 acres. The Site Description TBD provides information about the 

facilities at ANL-W and identifies unusual events.

Occupational Medical Dose

The Occupational Medical Dose TBD (ORAUT 2005b) provides information about the dose that 

individual workers received from X-rays required as a condition of employment. These X-rays 

included preemployment and chest X-rays during periodic physical exams. The frequency of required 

X-rays varied over time and as a function of worker age. Both the X-ray equipment and the 

techniques for taking X-rays have changed over the years covered by this TBD. These factors have 

been taken into account in determining the dose that a worker would have received from the X-ray. 

When there was a doubt about the technique used, favorable to claimant assumptions have been 

made to ensure that the dose is not underestimated. Important parameters include the tube current 

and voltage, exposure time, source-to-skin distance, and the view (posterior–anterior or lateral). This 

TBD provides the calculated doses to other exposed organs from the chest X-ray. The calculated 

dose accounts for the uncertainty associated with each of the parameters. Tables list the various 

organ doses for convenient reference by the dose reconstructors.
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Occupational Environmental Dose

The Occupational Environmental Dose TBD (ORAUT 2004b) discusses the maximum dose to the 

whole body and organs that workers could have received when working outside the buildings at the 

ANL-W. This dose could be the result of inhalation of radioactive materials in the atmosphere, direct 

radiation from effluent plumes, and direct exposure to radionuclides that could have become 

incorporated into the soil.

The radionuclide concentrations at the ANL-W areas are based principally on measurements of stack 

effluents coupled with ground-level maximum annual average air concentrations from the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A screening process using dose conversion factors from 

the International Commission on Radiological Protection demonstrates that, of the 56 radionuclides on 

the annual effluent list, nine radionuclides (144Ce, 131I, 147Pm, 238Pu, 239/240Pu, 106Ru, 89Sr, 90Sr, and 91Y) 

contribute about 95% of the total internal dose. This TBD provides calculated annual intakes of these

radionuclides based on standard breathing rates and exposure times. 

Measurement of direct gamma values at the ANL-W facility fence provides annual external wholebody dose to workers from ambient radiation and from submersion in the annual radioactive material 

concentration.

Occupational Internal Dose

The Occupational Internal Dose TBD (ORAUT 2005a) discusses the internal dosimetry program at 

ANL-W.

This TBD contains a comprehensive default table to guide internal dose reconstruction in cases with 

minimal data. In addition, the TBD discusses the in vivo and in vitro minimum detectable activities (MDAs), the 

analytical methods, and the reporting protocols for the radionuclides at ANL-W. These parameters varied 

somewhat over the years for each of the radionuclides, but the capabilities were relatively consistent 

through the history of the site. The primary radionuclides of concern are those associated with spent 

high-enriched fuels: Mixed fission products, mixed activation products, plutonium (with a 

predominance of 238Pu), americium, and uranium (both high-enriched and depleted). 

This TBD describes information for reconstruction for workers with no confirmed intakes but who 

could have been exposed, in the early days, in circumstances in which monitoring did not occur, or for 

monitored readings below the detection limits. The document discusses methods for the evaluation of 

these potential doses and provides additional data for the evaluation of the worst-case scenario and 

for unmonitored workers.

Occupational External Dosimetry

The Occupational External Dosimetry TBD (ORAUT 2004c) discusses the program for measuring skin 

and whole-body doses to the workers. This document describes the dose reconstruction parameters, 

practices, and policies, and the dosimeter types and technology for measuring the dose from the 

different types of radiation. Discussion includes evaluation of doses measured from exposure to beta, 

gamma, and neutron radiation. Tables provide test results for various dosimeters exposed to different 

exposure geometries, radiation types, and energies. This TBD provides detailed discussion of 

sources of bias, workplace radiation field characteristics, responses of the different beta/gamma and 

neutron dosimeters in the workplace fields, and the adjustments to the recorded dose measured by 

these dosimeters during specific years.

This TBD discusses missed dose as a function of dosimeter type, year, and energy range. In 

addition, the document describes the use of the external dosimetry technical basis parameters to 

facilitate the efforts of the dose reconstructors.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0026-1 Revision No. 01 Effective Date: 05/11/2007 Page 8 of 9

1.3 ATTRIBUTIONS AND ANNOTATIONS

All information requiring identification was addressed via references integrated into the reference 

section of this document. 

Norman Rohrig served as the initial Document Owner for this document. Mr. Rohrig was previously 

employed at INL, which shared boundaries with ANL-W and used the same dosimetry systems. His 

work involved management, direction, or implementation of radiation protection and/or health physics 

program policies, procedures, or practices in relation to atomic weapons activities at the site. This 

revision has been overseen by a new Document Owner, who is fully responsible for the content of this 

document, including all findings and conclusions. Mr. Rohrig continues to serve as a Site Expert for 

this document because he possesses or is aware of information relevant to reconstruction of radiation 

doses that were experienced by claimants who worked at the site. In all cases where such 

information or previous studies or writings are included or relied upon by the Document Owner, those 

materials are fully attributed to the source. Mr. Rohrig’s Disclosure Statement is available at 

www.oraucoc.org. 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0026-1 Revision No. 01 Effective Date: 05/11/2007 Page 9 of 9

REFERENCES

ORAUT (Oak Ridge Associated Universities Team), 2004a, Technical Basis Document for the 

Argonne National Laboratory - West – Site Description, ORAUT-TKBS-0026-2, Rev. 00, Oak 

Ridge, Tennessee, September 9.

ORAUT (Oak Ridge Associated Universities Team), 2004b, Technical Basis Document for the 

Argonne National Laboratory - West – Occupational Environmental Dose, 

ORAUT-TKBS-0026-4, Rev 00, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, September 30.

ORAUT (Oak Ridge Associated Universities Team), 2004c, Technical Basis Document for the 

Argonne National Laboratory - West – Occupational External Dosimetry, 

ORAUT-TKBS-0026-6, Rev. 00, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, September 30.

ORAUT (Oak Ridge Associated Universities Team), 2005a, Technical Basis Document for the 

Argonne National Laboratory - West – Occupational Internal Dose, ORAUT-TKBS-0026-5, 

Rev. 00, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, January 20.

ORAUT (Oak Ridge Associated Universities Team), 2005b, Technical Basis Document for the 

Argonne National Laboratory - West – Occupational Medical Dose, ORAUT-TKBS-0026-3, 

Rev. 00 PC-1, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, May 16.